Teacher's pay rise simply impossible, says minister

Givan said unions have asked for a 13.5% rise in 2024-25

Giving teachers in Northern Ireland the pay rise unions have asked for is "simply impossible," according to the education minister.

Paul Givan told assembly members that the teaching unions had asked for a 13.5% rise in 2024-25.

Givan also told the assembly that education authorities had formally asked the unions for ongoing strike ballots "to be stood down".

But one of the largest unions, the NASUWT, told BBC News NI that it would "not be withdrawing our ballot."

Unions representing the majority of teachers in Northern Ireland are balloting their members on industrial action.

Despite the fact that it is more than halfway through the 2024-25 financial year, no pay deal for teachers in Northern Ireland has yet been agreed.

Teachers in England received a 5.5% pay rise for 2024-25 from the government in September.

It was funded by an additional £1.2bn from the UK government.

Health unions have also raised the possibility of strikes over pay, and disputes could also spread to include the Northern Ireland Civil Service.

A number of teaching unions took part in strike action in February 2023

Answering a question from the Alliance assembly member Danny Donnelly, Givan said the Northern Ireland unions pay claim was "substantially higher" than the 5.5% rise for teachers in England.

"In line with the requirements of public sector pay policy, any proposals for a teachers pay award must be affordable," he said.

"This is proving difficult to resolve given the pressures that are already faced within the education budget."

Questioned later by his Democratic Unionist Party colleague Diane Dodds, Givan said the department was £20m short of even meeting a 5.5% rise.

"The teacher's pay claim is not for 5.5%, it's for 13.5%," he said.

"It is simply impossible if members believe that this department can deliver a 13.5% pay rise this year."

"That is not achievable."

"I am engaging in good faith with the unions to try and get a successful resolution to this issue."

'Lowest paid on these islands'

Reacting to the education minister's comments, Justin McCamphill, NASUWT national official, said: "Teachers in Northern Ireland are not prepared to be the lowest-paid teachers in these islands.

"The minister needs to secure enough money so that an acceptable pay offer can be made to teachers in order to avert industrial action.

"The NASUWT will not be withdrawing our ballot until such time as an acceptable offer is made and accepted by our members."

Givan, though, also told MLAs that "hundreds of millions" of pounds were also needed to build and maintain school buildings.

The Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) recently said schools were "deteriorating" and many needed "significant repair".

"I can only do so much with the budget that is made available to me," the minister said.

"There has not been the funding over many years to go into the school estate.

"There is a backlog of hundreds of millions of pounds.

"There is a programme of works between new builds, school enhancements, and what we need for special education over the next ten years that comes over, in the region of, about £3bn.

"If we're serious about our school estate, we need to be serious when it comes to the allocation of funding to the Department of Education."